My seven year old cannot wait to be in charge. As the first born, he often thinks he is in charge or a part of our parental team. He’s smart and his processing is often spot on, but I try to gently remind him (sometimes more strongly than others) that he is a kid and to enjoy it!
Being a parent is one of the best jobs in the world. It is also one of the scariest. We are tools being used to shape a little ones outlook on life, character, sense of security, joy, peace, happiness, and all the other important outlooks on life (not to mention caring for the basic needs such as clothing, food, health, and a warm place to sleep). It’s a big responsibility. We know it. We feel it; but in a lot of ways we are set up to succeed, if we are humans.
Did you happen to see the Disney Bears movie this summer? This is in no way a pitch or sponsor post for Disney. We saw it as a family and I just love that movie.
I watched anxiously as a mama bear tried to navigate her two young cubs through a scary world. She protected them. She struggled to keep them safe and fed, and was always on the watch for those that could hurt her babies.
I could relate. Ever since that movie, I have had a fascination with bears. It was time I got one of my own. Although I have three little cubs under my roof, we needed a fury friend too. Here is how my plush bear came into existence. Be warned! I now want to make a whole collection of furry wild friends, and you may want to too!
It started as an idea to sketch a bear. Since we are in transition to our own place, I don’t have all my usual craft supplies on hand. I did have some creme fabric though, so I started sketching on that. I had some sharpies
I filled in my sketch with quick strokes to create a fur look. My goal was for the bear to definitely look like a bear, but to look simple and cartoon like. I think I got that. I cut the extra fabric off around my sketch. Be sure to leave enough margin to sew your sketch to a back fabric. Also, try to envision what cuts would make for a good pillow. In hind sight, I might have just cut one big oval out rather than cutting in to have the head and front and back paws in separate sections. It made it a bit trickier to stuff, but you will see that below.
I then laid my sketch face down on a towel. I folded my towel over to have it be extra thick and used both sides of it to create the back of my bear. I decided to use a towel because it was a thick, sturdy material, but it also had a fur like texture. You could use any fabric or left over material.
If I had my sewing machine, I would have then quickly sewn around to join the towel and bear sketch together. Note: Be sure to leave a two inch opening, so you will be able to flip your new pillow right side out and stuff. I forgot that step and had to go back and cut some slits.
Since I didn’t have my sewing machine, I did a quick in and out stitch by hand to join the materials together. It did not have to be perfect, since my main stitch was going to be on the outside.
This is a pretty mindless craft at this point. I had one of my favorite movies playing as I stitched. Can you guess the movie!?
I hand stitched a blanket stitch around the outside of my bear with yarn. I hadn’t done this is a long time, but by a simple Google search, I was able to see some pictures and learn how to complete this stitch. I love how it reinforces my bear, but also adds another texture and it looks so cute! Once the bear was stitched and stuffed to the thickness I liked, I simply stitched it close.
The last step was to admire and enjoy him! I am pretty obsessed with this little guy. I now want to make him some furry friends and use bright colored towels to make some creative rabbits, foxes, and maybe even a giraffe! Oh the possibilities! The most expensive craft supply was the bag of Poly-Fil
I took my little bear around the farm for a photoshoot. What a good model! 🙂
What an inexpensive, fun craft to make! They would make great Christmas or holiday presents! Do you know a young child that would love a fun pillow?
If you have been following along with our move announcement, why we uprooted our family from sunny Atlanta to less-sunny northern Indiana, and how we have been adjusting, I would love for you to know we have found a house! We will be moving from our sweet friends’ basement into our own home in two weeks! Thank you for all the prayers, encouraging, and sweet comments as we have been transitioning to hooser territory!
Disclaimer: affiliate links were used in this blog post.
I find it funny how many items in our day-to-day life were made for one thing, but with a little imagination and ingenuity can be used for something completely different.
I sewed the ribbon sides together and then pinned them to where I thought they would look right on my bag. I then tried it on to make sure I liked the length and placement of the handles.
I was so excited. I almost rotated the bag around to make it a more horizontal bag rather than a vertical bag, but I decided I wanted the length this way as I have other bags that fit the horizontal shape. The vertical shape is different. I sewed the handles in place on both sides of the bag, so I had two handles.
I tried stuffing my bag into my machine to sew the two sides of the rug together, but it was too fat. I was left needing to sew the sides by hand. It wasn’t hard, since there were only two sides needing sewn together (no need to sew the fold side).
Once my side and bottom were sewn, I flipped my new bag inside out and it was complete! This bag is huge! To show you the size, I took a few pictures of it with some of my favorite items.
Matt jokes that the kids could use it for a three legged race. They could! I love the massive size and plan to use this bag a lot. If you wanted your bag to be smaller, you could easily cut your rug before you sew up the sides. I think this idea would also be great for laundry hampers or storage bins. I’ve seen poufs made from rugs too. The possibilities are endless when we use our imaginations and inspire one another to try new things.
So many cute things come with babies.
I then iron all around my 1/3 of a yard fabric. I fold about 1/4″ to 1/2″ seem down and iron it to hold it in place. I then fold the fabric over in half and pin all the way around it.
I simply sew around the edge of the now rectangle shape two times. There are foots that you can put on most sewing machine that will sew two lines at once. I just sew around two times. You can also personalize your burp cloth by adding a shape or an initial to sew on as well.
After you sew everything in place and remove the pins, it is done! I think this project is so simple, yet a fun way to give a personalized gift. There are so many different flannel patterns available to give this simple project different looks. You can get fun colorful patterns or basic geometric modern styles. Whatever your taste or the theme of a baby shower may be! Of course, I am always drawn to the bright colorful fabrics! 🙂
I think this burp cloth is the perfect burp cloth. The fabric is so soft. It is very absorbent. Here is the best part! The bright colors and patterns hide stains! So often the popular white cloth diaper type burp cloths get stained and gross. These flannel burp cloths hide all that and are more forgiving.
I love to add a few personalized homemade items to my baby shower gifts. I usually get something off the registry and then make a few things to go with it. Some of my favorite items to make are 
What about you!? Do you love to make items for your baby shower gifts as well?
There are moments in life that can be hard to explain. You may be surprised, nervous, proud, thrilled, or crushed. Sometimes the only way to appreciate the moment is to have walked the path to get there.
I wish I could tell all the details and show her beautiful face, but the most important part of this experience is she changed me. In the nine days we had with this sweet preemie, I fell in love hard.
It was quick, yet it was something for her. Something that was not a hand me down or bought used. It was something that could go with her no matter where she ends up.
In 2013, a dream of mine became a reality. I pray that my heart can do this over and over again. Thank you for being on this journey with us!